Water-wheel



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. De LOAOH] Water Wheel.

Patented Aug. 24,1380.

4 five/71,57.

N PETERS. FHOTO-HTHOGFIPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

2 Sheets-8111212112.

W. H. De LOAOH.

Water Wheel.-

ented Aug. 24518810.

wires STATES WILLIAM H. DE LOAOH, OF KIRBY SPRINGS, GEORGIA.

WATER- WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,411, dated August 24, 1880.

Application filed February 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HENDERSON DE LOAGH, of Kirby Springs, in the county of Bryan, in the State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVater-Wheels, of which the following-is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings illustrating the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, durable, and effective water-wheel for use in a small head of water, and where but simple power is required.

The invention consists in a casing or box having a spiral fiume with the slightest inclination and wide stand highest at its receiving end, and graduallybut rapidly increasing in its inclination'toward, and as gradually and rapidly diminishing in its width and height at, its discharging end, the said flume having its inclination in horizontal planes intersected by a central conical spiral orifice in said casing, which forms the seat for the conical shaft of the wheel, and serves to contract the spiral flume, whereby the water is so introduced and controlled as to flow uniformly and overcome backlash. The casing, with its "flume and shaft-seat, is hewn or dug out of solid timber, in order to effect solidity and simplicity of parts.

The invention further consists in the combination, with the casing, its flumes, and conical-shaft seat, of a wheel and its conical shaft,

' the edges of which shaft extend to the inner edges of the'buckets, and thereby the surface of Said shaft acts as a watershed to direct the fall into the buckets of such wheel.

The invention further consists in the details of construction of said wheel and easing, as hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings hereinbefore referred to, Figure 1 is a transverse section of my waterwheel and its easing, with the shaft in elevation. Fig. 2 is a top-plan view of the Wheel detached. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the wheel partly broken away to show the buckets, and

with half of the casin g removed; and Fig. elis a bottom-plan view of the casin The letter A designates a suitable framework, upon which my wheel is arranged. Upon this frame-work may be rigidly fixed the half B of a casing or box, made from solid wood,

and in this portion is arranged the water-ga or flood-gate a. The casin g, with its fiood-gai or water-gap a, is arrangedin immediate cor nection with a fall or dam. Loosely connecte to this portion B by dowel-pins b is the l( movable portion 0 of the casing, which i driven tightly against the portion B by wedge c, backed by posts (1011 the frame. I describ this construction particularly, asit is the silt plest, cheapest, and most durable to me know but do not limit my invention thereto.

The water-gap a is of the same width as th buckets, and is open at thc top and rear of th casing, so as to receive the-full volume of W2 ter. A gate may or may not be used in it, a deemed advisable.

Each halfot' the casing is made with a cer tral semicircular opening, which, when th two parts are brought opposite each othel form a circular bearing, 1), for the wheel-shaft From a short distance below the edge of thi opening the casing is cut away conically tr ward its bottom to form a conical seat, D, for tapering shaft attached to the wheel, as herein after specified. Startin from a point opposit the inlet of the water-gap in theintcrior of th portion 0 of the casing, the timber is dug on to a line even with the top of the water-ga and in width extending from the point 1 i1 line with the outer edge of said gap to th point 2 on the edge of the shaft-opening Taking the center of the shaft-opening as center, a circle is described of a diameter equa to the diameter-of the wheel between theinne edges of its rim, and the digging out of th casing is continued to form a flume, E, wit] its periphery or outer wall on this circle am extending to the conical shaftopening inte riorly.

The excavating of the flume E proceeds 0] horizontal planes of decreasing altitude inter sectcd vertically by the shaft-opening, and a the flume proceeds about this opening its widtl and height are gradually diminished, and a the same time its inclination increased until i ends in the part B opposite its starting-point and at a distance therefrom equal to the widtl of two buckets of the wheel. There is thercb; left solid timber ora Wall, 4, flush with tln bottom of the casing, extending from a lin between the points 1 2 to the discharge end 2 the flame, for a purpose presently menoned.

It will be noticed that the spirality in one ireetion of the flume is due to its being inirsected by the conical shaft-bearin g, and in ie other to its inclination.

F is the shaft of the wheel, made tapering conical Within the casin g, and fitting snugly l the conical hearing or seat 1). The lower id of this shaft is made with a polygonal proction, 0, upon which the wheel Gis secured. The shaft and wheel are supported from be- W by an adjusting or compensating lever, f, trrying a step, g, upon which the nib h of the laft rests. The shaft is also made of timber. The Wheel G, with its buckets, is hewn from mber, and is usually about four-inches thick, 1d bound with metal '13, after the manner of utting on wheel-tires.

The buckets 7c are chiseled out of the face i' the wheel in the intersectingplanes of lonitudinal and transverse vertical ellipses, their acciving ends I. being at about an angle of iirty-five degrees to the axis of rotation, and lick, and their discharging ends at tapering i an edge on the horizontal plane of the botan of the wheel. At the junction of the uckets with the rim n the curve 0 is upward om the face of-the bucket, widest at the uper or entrance end, and gradually more abipt until lost at the discharge end. This irve directs the water into the bucket proper- 1d removes the objectionable angles that ould otherwise exist.

In operation, the water coming in at the gap a .lls upon the face of the wheel into the buck- .s and liows through the flume. It exerts its rce upon all of the buckets except those un- 31 the timber at 4, and in a fourteei'i-bucket heel twelve buckets will be in the water and V0 under the timber at 4. By this provision 1e water is most fully utilized and the elfectencss of the wheel enhanced, for there is conantly presented to the incoming water an npty bucket. The conical shaft acts as a ater-shed to direct the water into the bucks, and causes the utilization of its entire force, id the construction of the flume and buckets events dead water and obviates backlash- 'ils that'prevail very extensively in waterheels.

I have obtained entirely satisfactory results dinary country millwright may not make or alter with the simplest tools. The metal rim i1 serves to strengthen the wheel and prevent its bursting or being chipped or abraded, and

may be applied in the same manner as a tire to a carriage-wheel.

What I claim is- 1. A water-wheel having a solid wood casing constructed with a conical-shaft seat and a spiral inclined flume, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The casing or box of a water-wheel having a spiral llume with the slightest inclination and widest and highest at its receiving end, and gradually but rapidly increasing in its inclination, and as gradually and rapidly din'iinishing in its width andheight, at its discharging end, and intersected vertically by a conical seat for the wheel-shaft,which serves to contract the spiral liume, whereby the water may be introduced and controlled so as to flow uniformly and overcome backlash, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the casing, the flume, and conical-shaft scat therein with awheel and a conical shaft, the said conical shaft terminating at the inner edges of the buckets of the wheel, substantially as specified.

4-. A water-wheel the peripheral edges 0 of the buckets of which are curved upwardly, substantially as shown and described.

5. The casing of a water-wheel having a fiume and wall, 4 interposed between the receiving and discharging ends of such flume, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

To the above specification of myinvention 1 have signed my name this 4th day of August, A. I). 1879.

W. H. DE LOAGH.

Witnesses A. H. QMI'rII, W. W. ALLIFF. 

